Q: My brother recently came out as transgender and I am so proud of him for living his life honestly. But I am unsure of what to do with childhood photos of him when he was living as a girl? Should I remove them from display, keep or destroy the photos? He is coming to visit for the first time since transitioning, and I don’t want to offend him. Thank you! ~Anonymous

A: You sound like a wonderful and supportive sister! Frankly, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to your question. If you take them down, he could feel he was being made invisible in some way; if you leave them up, he may not be happy. So how about this: Send him a quick email and ask him what he prefers. I don’t think you can go wrong if you do this.

By the way, I want to commend you for making the switch from calling your sibling a “sister” and now a “brother.” According to the Stylebook of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), “When writing [or talking] about a transgender person, use the name and personal pronouns that are consistent with the way the individual lives publicly. When possible, ask which term the subject prefers.” I couldn’t agree more.

Agree or disagree with my advice? Let me know in the comment field below.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.